Rob's Obs

This site provides an outlet for my observations and personal musings about current events, politics, business, sports, family, and anything else that comes to mind. If you agree that's great, but if you disagree and want to engage in intellectual debate that's even better.

Unintelligent Design

I would have more respect for the folks who push intelligent design if they would just argue that they believe in Biblical creationism rather than making up a non-supportable theory and trying to hock it as science. If intelligent design is approved, then there is nothing to stop people from arguing that the "Intelligent Designer" (i.e., God) is a space alien or a holy cow or whatever.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Iraq Musings

More than 100,000 people protested the war in Iraq yesterday. It certainly appears that Americans are realizing the mistake that is Iraq. During the 2000 campaign, George Bush explicitly told the American people that he did not believe the role of the U.S. military was to build nations, and he explicitly criticized the Clinton administration for what he saw was the overextension of our military. It certainly appears like we are in the midst of a major nation-building effort in Iraq – given the ongoing insurgency. billions of dollars that have been lost to corruption and gouging by contractors (e.g., Halliburton) and the overall lack of infrastructure development.

On top of this, there are indications of ongoing widespread and systematic torture of Iraqi prisoners. I am not one to just "blame the troops." American soldiers are trained to kill - not to build nations. When they are constantly being shot at by insurgents it is hard to expect them (or anyone) not to get angry and to continue to work with local folks to build the nation. This is just another example of the failure of the Bush Administration's "plan," if we can call it that, for Iraq.

Oops!

Friday, September 23, 2005

Bush Goes to Hell - Funny!

One day in the future, George Bush has a heart attack and dies. He immediately goes to hell, where the devil is waiting for him.

"I don't know what to do," says the devil. "You are on my list, but I have no room for you. You definitely have to stay here, so I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I've got some folks here who weren't quite as bad as you. I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place.I'll even let YOU decide who leaves."

Bush thought that sounded pretty good, so the devil opened the first room. In it was Ronald Reagan and a large pool of water. He kept diving in and surfacing empty handed. Over and over and over. Such was his fate in hell. "No, George said. "I don't think so. I'm not a good swimmer and I don't think I could do that all day long."

The devil led him to the next room. In it was Richard Nixon with a sledge hammer and a room full of rocks. All he did was swing that hammer, time after time after time. "No, I've got this problem with my shoulder. I would be in constant agony if all I could do was break rocks all day," commented George.

The devil opened a third door. In it, Bush saw Bill Clinton, lying on the floor with his arms staked over his head, and his legs staked in a spread eagle pose. Bent over him was Monica Lewinsky, doing what she does best. Bush took this in disbelief and finally said, "Yea, I can handle this." The devil smiled and said "OK, Monica, you're free to go."

I do like the part of the story that describes a drinking incident from his past: "Age 26 in 1972, he reportedly rounded off a night's boozing with his 16-year-old brother Marvin by challenging his father to a fight." Now that would be a sight to see.

But his speech issues, multiple falls from his bike, and the pretzel choking incident all make more sense - not to mention his terrible decision-making.

Congress Investigating Steroid Use in MLB

Barry Bonds is in Washingtong playing to the Nationals. He was asked about Congress investigating MLB players for steroid use - there are several congressional investigations going on right now. He said they are a waste of time given the other issues in this country. Now he may have some personal reason not to have Congress looking at the issue, but he is right.

Why isn't Congress investigating the billions of dollars lost to fraud and corruption in Iraq, why we haven't caught bin Laden or Sheik Omar, the government's failure to develop an effective Homeland Security Office, the no-bid contracts that have now been given to Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel, Fluor, Blackwater, etc. (the same cast of characters in Iraq and who happen to be friends of Bush/Cheney), the massive waste in the transportation bill, and so on. There are more important things that our federal government should be looking at but won't because they are corrupt and want to keep Americans from realizing how corrupt and inept they are.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Kudos to the 'Skins

My hats off to the Redskins for not quitting. For 56 minutes of the game the 'Skins and Mark Brunell looked as I expected - horrible. Then the Dallas (more specifically, Aaron Glenn and Roy Williams) allowed a speedy Santana Moss to get behind them - twice to beat them in the final five minutes.

Dallas went from being in total control and shutting out the 'Skins to losing. This is the kind of win that can elevate the 'Skins and devastate the Cowboys. It will be interesting to see what happens the next couple of weeks. I still have my doubts about the 'Skins and Brunell, but a win is a win and we will see.

Bears Roaring/Redskins to be Scalped

How 'bout dem Bears! I know it is a lowly Lions team with no quarterback and who quit when the going got tough, but I love it. Domination in all three phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams).

Tonight the Redskins will lose for the 11th straight time in Dallas. Quarterback play will be their undoing and I predict Redskin fans will be shaking their head wondering when they Campbell will be ready to play.

I know 'Skins fans will be saying they beat the Bears. All I can say is that let's see at the end of the season which team has progressed.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Face/Off for real!

This is weird, but it is cutting edge (so to speak) and it could really help a lot of people (burn victims, severly deformed, etc.). I could see it really twisting into a bizarre form of plastic surgery, but the good outweighs the bad in my opinion.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Freedom still marching (I guess)

Why are we still in Iraq? There are no WMDs, the proposed constitution sets up a Shiite Islamic state (like Iran) that is not likely to be friendly to the U.S., women will no longer be equal, and we cannot stop the coming civil war. What is the goal at this point?

Pass me a beer!

Friday, September 09, 2005

A Hero's Story

This six year old child has more courage, conviction, and sense than Bush. Bush stayed on vacation, diddled around for a couple of days, and actually praised Horse Whisperer Brownie when it was clear that he had done virtually nothing but impede efforts to assist the victims of Katrina. This is our great "War President" who will keep us safe from terror! What a joke.

Brown Exaggerated!

Not surprisingly, Time Magazine has found that FEMA Director Mike "Brownie" Brown has not exactly told the truth about his background. According to the article,

Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." Turns out Brownie was actually a student intern working as an administrative assistant to the city manager at the time. Another discrepancy from the article:

Brown's lack of experience in emergency management isn't the only apparent bit of padding on his resume, which raises questions about how rigorously the White House vetted him before putting him in charge of FEMA. Under the "honors and awards" section of his profile at FindLaw.com — which is information on the legal website provided by lawyers or their offices—he lists "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University". However, Brown "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here," says Charles Johnson, News Bureau Director in the University Relations office at the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly named Central State University)."Basically, Brownie is a Bushie hack who got the job through connections rather than ability and experience. Bush served the public interest well by picking the "Horse Whisperer" don't you think?

Thursday, September 08, 2005

NFL's Most Disappointing Teams

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Republican Talking Points

Republicans are trying to protect the President from blame by accusing Louisiana state and local officials for the fiasco in New Orleans. Certainly some blame is warranted but I have seen numerous Republican operatives saying that Governor Blanco failed to declare an emergency or request federal assistance. If you hear any of that nonsense know that that is factually incorrect.

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts . . .Basically, Homeland Security and FEMA were in charge retroactively to Friday, August 26 - 2 DAYS BEFORE THE STORM HIT! Don't be fooled by Republican efforts to deflect blame.

FEMA Errors

Check out a list of FEMA errors. At the very least, Bush should fire FEMA Director Mike "Horse Whisperer" Brown (before joining FEMA the guy was fired from his last job as a horse show organizer). The mistakes are not just administrative snafus, they are criminal in that they led directly to the deaths of countless Americans.

NFL Picks

Read Peter King's predictions. This is a guy who knows something about the game and his predictions for the Bears and Redskins are enlightened. Redskins - fourth in their division and Campbell will be quarterbacking the team by mid-year. Bears - third and possibly second in their division if Orton can play. He picks Orton as Offensive Rookie of the Year.

A look at the Bears' schedule and the Redskins' schedule are quite telling. They play each other in week one, and then it is clear the Bears have a better schedule on paper. The 'Skins will beat Seattle, SF, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Arizona, and get two division wins (maybe), to finish 7-9. If they finish 8-8 or better it will be a shock.

The Bears will beat Washington, Detroit (twice), Cincy, Cleveland, NO, SF, Tampa, and Green Bay to finish 9-7. An improving Orton and a great defense will give Bears fans hope for the future, while 'Skins fans will be left at the end of the year scratching their heads and wondering what improvements the off-season will hold.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Why FEMA fu$@ed up!

It is clear that the federal response to Katrina, particularly in New Orleans, has been horrible. Bush was on vacation and was reportedly golfing the day after the Hurricane (can you imagine if he was seen golfing the day after 9/11)? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Homeland Security do not appear to be ready for an emergency and this demonstrates a complete and utter failure of leadership. The Hurricane was being monitored before it hit, just imagine if a significant terrorist attack occurs out of the blue.

About Me

I'm a forty-something parent of two who has been married to the love of my life for more than 10 years. Family is everything to me.
I love intellectual discourse and have friends from the full political spectrum. My philosophy is that if you cannot persuasively argue the opposite of what you believe then you do not fully understand the issue in question.

Blogs/Sites I Enjoy

Notice To Blog Readers/Posters

Thank you for visiting this blog. Please refrain from personal attacks and/or abusive language. Also, please be prepared to defend your
position with fact and not with just standard talking points. If you do post to this blog you are giving up any copyright protection or other
intellectual property protection to the material in the post. Any post, text, or other material left on this blog can be used by Rob in the
future as he sees fit without seeking approval for, or otherwise compensating, the individual or entity who posted the material. If you
do not accept these rules DO NOT POST ANYTHING.

All original material posted on robsobs.com is copywritten and is protected intellectual property. It may not be used without permission.